Drapht attended Perth Modern School in Subiaco but was not involved in the school's music program. At school, he became friends with Damien Allia (aka DJ Armee) who introduced him to hip hop via gigs at the Hyde Park Hotel.
Drapht became a vital part of Perth's hip hop crew Syllabolix at the age of 17.
"I was real lucky. I hung around all the SBX members before I even started rapping. I was right in the middle of it all, I had access to the fucking dopest producer at the time Dazastah, freestyle sessions at Hunter's, and constant schooling from the whole crew. So, it was hard for me not to learn quick and be involved with it all." - Drapht
This involvement resulted in his first contributions being recorded and included on the Done DL album in 2000, only months after he had started seriously writing.
Drapht's first track, "Misunderstood", which sampled Nina Simone's 1964 song, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", was released as part of the Culture of Kings - Volume 3 released in 2003.
"I know a lot of people were big fans of that song, but I never put it in my live show 'cause it's a downtempo sort of beat. It was just a track I wrote in a span of a few days, and it was just lying around. So, I put it on Culture of Kings. Luckily enough, it was the intro song for the album. It has definitely helped to carry my career on." - Drapht (2008)
His debut album, Pale Rider, was released in October 2003, with all production handled by Dazastah (Downsyde), Fdel, and Drapht. Special appearances on the album include: Fdel (Invada Records), Downsyde, MC Layla, Hunter, Selekt, Carlsani, and Porsah Lane.
"With my first album, I just kinda got into it because I was hanging around the guys from Downsyde and Syllabolix. Essentially, I got into it just because I loved how Daz [Dazastah] tackled his writing style and his punch-lines. Aggression was the one thing I wanted to get rid of, which is why it came out more aggressive than any album I've done since. Being a teenager you seem to be more this way. Then, you [hopefully] let it all go." - Drapht (2008)
The follow-up, 2005's Who Am I, was also produced by Dazastah (Downsyde), Fdel, and Drapht. The songs touch on topics including politics, sex, and addiction to drunken antics. Guest appearances on the album include Pressure (Hilltop Hoods), Downsyde, Layla, Pegz (Obese Records), Clandestien, MJ (Funkola), and Hunter. It was released by Obese Records in both in a CD and a limited 2 LP vinyl format. Two tracks from the album, "Drink Drank Drunk" and "The Music", received airplay on Triple J, mostly on the Super Request program. Who Am I is more of an introspective album.
"I tried to focus more on my flow and the structure of the tracks but at the end I wasn't really happy with the subject matter of the songs." - Drapht (2008)
Drapht has opened for acts such as; Hilltop Hoods, Dilated Peoples, Downsyde, Koolism, Apathy, Rodney P & Skitz, Mystro, Killa Kela, and Resin Dogs.
The song "The Music" was selected by Triple J as a featured track for Ausmusic month in 2005. Drapht released a music video for "The Music", which was shown on Rage. He also performed a guest verse on the Hilltop Hoods album The Hard Road on the track "The Blue Blooded".
Drapht was nominated in the Best Urban/Hip Hop Act category at the 2007 West Australian Music Industry Awards. At the age of twenty-five, Drapht decided to pursue music full-time, leaving his other career as a roof carpenter.
Drapht's third album, Brothers Grimm, was released 10 May 2008, with the first song from the album, "Jimmy Recard", receiving significant airplay on Triple J, where it became the second most played song on the station in 2008.
"With Brothers Grimm, I tried to tackle subject matter more, and tried to make every single word more clear - not so intense. I wanted it to be more personal and truthful with what I stand for and have gone through in life, and the response has been really good." - Drapht (2008)
The album debuted at No. 64 on the ARIA Album charts, reached No. 9 on the V Energy AIR (Association of Independent Record Labels) Charts and No. 10 on the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Top 40 Urban Album charts.
Drapht appeared for the first time in a Triple J Hottest 100 with two entries in the 2008 countdown; "Jimmy Recard" at number 10 and "Falling" at number 77.
In October 2008, Drapht was nominated for the 'Best New Australian Independent Artist' award by the 2008 AIR Awards.
In March 2009, Drapht undertook a national tour of Australia with fellow Western Australians, Downsyde with a number of the eastern states performances being supported by Pez. Drapht also made appearances at Homebake, Pyramid Rock Festival, Southbound, Open Arms, and MS Fest.
"Jimmy Recard" was nominated for 'Most Popular Single/EP' at the 2009 West Australian Music Industry Awards and Drapht as 'Best Urban/Hip Hop Act', which he subsequently won.
In an interview with The Vine in November 2010, Drapht advised that he had not renewed his contract with Obese Records and that he will be releasing his forthcoming album The Life of Riley independently. The first song released from the album is "Rapunzel", for which he describes the love hate relationship that is Rapunzel- a subject that I had that was extremely close to my heart, so naturally the song itself was one of the easiest to write, but one of the hardest to nail in the recording process. Has to be one of my favourites to date, has made me fall in love with her all over again!
"Rapunzel" reached number 12 on Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2010, #2 on the AIR charts, and peaked at #16 on the ARIA singles chart in February 2011, the highest charting single for Drapht to date. The single was also accredited an ARIA platinum certification.
The Life of Riley was released 1 April 2011 and was the first release on Drapht’s own label The Ayems, which is distributed through Sony Music. The album debuted at #1 on the ARIA Album Chart and was the first Australian artist to do so in 2011. The second track to be taken from the album was "Sing It (The Life of Riley)".
Rapunzel
Drapht Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the moment we met, I was breathless
And not asbestos breathless either,
Always, when you least expect it,
Stumble across Rapunzel a Libra,
Couldn't leave, I had to meet her,
Greet the girl of my dreams with a kiss on the hand,
What up? Little magnificent missing a man,
So gorgeous, walking on water,
Sort of like Erin McNaught, but little shorter,
Wore a Pandora, bought her a charm,
Wasn't short of thought ??? bit of Paul on her arm,
Calling for calm, we fought, made Iraq
And the border of Jordan a walk in the park,
Jaws of a shark, too hard to break it off,
Fall apart, so I would say:
[Chorus]
Rapunzel, gotta let your hair down,
Girl, gotta let your hair down,
I'm tired of fighting,
We ain't going nowhere now
Gotta let your hair down,
Girl, gotta let your hair down,
Why we trying?
We ain't going nowhere now
And even she could see,
Her love was like a demolition derby,
I was Herbie, the love-bug, swerving,
Cause I work on the road,
She was like Russell the Crow,
A jerk with her phone!
Know that I don't wanna fight ???
Another night, chewing off my ear, like Mike,
Another night ruined, I knew it,
Knew you would do it,
Scream when I'm out, like Hewitt,
You were the one, you were the one that ran away,
Like underlay, underlay,
Then break it off, but come running back,
Like baby, I want you back, but don't call me that,
Now baby, baby,
Baby, don't call me baby-baby,
I said, baby-baby, don't call me baby,
Baby-baby
[Chorus]
Na, I'm just sick of you saying my friends are above you,
You knew, when you were with me,
But you were lost in watching Sex and the City,
And what did you give me?
Your lips moving, but nothing coming out, like Britney!
And, what, did you lose it?
No, trust: every movement watched, like Truman,
Only human, I ain't a saint, but don't cheat when I'm in the game,
And still you know, you know no, you know you don't know me,
Die from the photos I got, like Dodi,
My own Naomi Campbell, I try to help, she fly off the handle:
No more candles, no more dinner, no more, I'm fat
I could look a little thinner,
Where's my Cinderella, my little Bella?
Hard, but I had to tell her, so I'd say, yeah, so I'd say,
I keep tellin' her, I keep tellin' her:
[Chorus]
Drapht's song Rapunzel tells the story of a tumultuous relationship, with the rapper addressing his lover throughout the track. From the moment they met, he was entranced by her, but as time passed, their fights became more frequent and intense. The chorus urges her to let her hair down and stop fighting, acknowledging that they aren't going anywhere as a couple.
The lyrics are full of literary and cultural references, from comparing the relationship to a demolition derby to referencing the fairy tale of Rapunzel. The rapper also compares himself to Herbie the Love Bug, a character from a 1968 film of the same name, while his lover is the brash, phone-obsessed Russell Crowe from his 1999 film The Insider. The imagery throughout the song paints a vivid picture of the highs and lows of a passionate but troubled relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
From the moment we met, I was breathless
I was completely smitten with her as soon as we met.
Always, when you least expect it,
You never know when you might find someone special.
Stumble across Rapunzel a Libra,
I met this girl named Rapunzel who was a Libra.
Couldn't leave, I had to meet her,
I was so drawn in by her that I had to meet her.
Greet the girl of my dreams with a kiss on the hand,
I greeted her by kissing her hand because I thought she was the girl of my dreams.
What up? Little magnificent missing a man,
She was amazing and it seemed like she was missing someone special in her life.
Ran away, like kids to a van (Yeah!)
We quickly hit it off like kids who run away together.
So gorgeous, walking on water,
She was incredibly beautiful and seemed to effortlessly capture attention.
Sort of like Erin McNaught, but little shorter,
She was like Erin McNaught, but a bit shorter in stature.
Wore a Pandora, bought her a charm,
She wore a Pandora bracelet and I bought her a charm for it.
Wasn't short of thought ??? bit of Paul on her arm,
She had a bit of a Paul McCartney tattoo on her arm and was quite thoughtful.
Calling for calm, we fought, made Iraq
We had a big argument but eventually calmed down and made up like resolving the conflict in Iraq.
And the border of Jordan a walk in the park,
After our fight, even the border of Jordan seemed easy in comparison.
Jaws of a shark, too hard to break it off,
Our relationship felt like being stuck in the jaws of a shark, making it hard to end things.
Fall apart, so I would say:
We eventually fell apart, leading me to say:
Rapunzel, gotta let your hair down,
Rapunzel, let loose and be yourself.
Girl, gotta let your hair down,
Just be yourself and stop trying to control everything.
I'm tired of fighting,
I'm exhausted from all the arguing and conflict.
We ain't going nowhere now
Our relationship isn't going anywhere at this point.
Why we trying?
Why are we even trying to make things work?
And even she could see,
Even she could see the issues in our relationship.
Her love was like a demolition derby,
Her love was chaotic and destructive, like a demolition derby.
I was Herbie, the love-bug, swerving,
I was trying to navigate the chaos of our relationship, like Herbie the Love-Bug swerving around.
Cause I work on the road,
I'm constantly on the road for work, which makes things more difficult.
She was like Russell the Crow,
She was like Russell Crowe's character in the movie 'A Beautiful Mind', struggling with mental health issues.
A jerk with her phone!
She was constantly on her phone and could be really difficult to deal with sometimes.
Know that I don't wanna fight ???
I don't want to argue anymore.
Another night, chewing off my ear, like Mike,
Another night of her talking my ear off, like Mike Tyson biting off a chunk of someone's ear.
Another night ruined, I knew it,
Another night ruined because of our arguing.
Knew you would do it,
I knew she would ruin the night with her behavior.
Scream when I'm out, like Hewitt,
She would scream at me when I was out of the house, like Jennifer Love Hewitt's character in the movie 'I Know What You Did Last Summer.'
You were the one, you were the one that ran away,
You were the one who left and ended things between us.
Like underlay, underlay,
Like the quick pace of Spanish flamenco music, our relationship ended quickly.
Then break it off, but come running back,
You ended things, but then came back to me.
Like baby, I want you back, but don't call me that,
You want me back, but don't call me 'baby' because it's too cliche.
Now baby, baby,
Now that we're back together, you can call me 'baby.'
Baby, don't call me baby-baby,
But don't overdo it with the baby talk.
I said, baby-baby, don't call me baby,
I don't like being called 'baby' all the time.
[Chorus]
Repeating the chorus.
Na, I'm just sick of you saying my friends are above you,
I'm tired of you feeling insecure around my friends.
You knew, when you were with me,
You knew what you were getting into when you started dating me.
But you were lost in watching Sex and the City,
But you would get distracted watching Sex and the City.
And what did you give me?
And what did you really bring to the relationship?
Your lips moving, but nothing coming out, like Britney!
You talk a lot but don't really say anything, like Britney Spears in her song 'Gimme More.'
And, what, did you lose it?
Did you lose your mind or something?
No, trust: every movement watched, like Truman,
No, I don't trust you. Every move you make seems like it's being watched, like Truman in 'The Truman Show.'
Only human, I ain't a saint, but don't cheat when I'm in the game,
I'm not perfect, but don't cheat on me while we're together.
And still you know, you know no, you know you don't know me,
You don't really know me, despite being in a relationship with me.
Die from the photos I got, like Dodi,
The photos I have of you would be damaging, like the ones Dodi Fayed had of Princess Diana.
My own Naomi Campbell, I try to help, she fly off the handle:
You were like my own Naomi Campbell, and I tried to help you, but you would often get angry and lash out.
No more candles, no more dinner, no more, I'm fat
No more romantic dinners or thoughtful gestures, because I'm tired of feeling like I need to constantly appease you.
I could look a little thinner,
I could stand to lose a few pounds, but that's not really the issue here.
Where's my Cinderella, my little Bella?
Where's the girl of my dreams, my own little beauty?
Hard, but I had to tell her, so I'd say, yeah, so I'd say,
It was difficult, but I had to tell her how I was feeling.
I keep tellin' her, I keep tellin' her:
Repeating the chorus one last time.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DANIEL RANKINE, PAUL RIDGE, LARRY SILER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nathanbird8213
Check it out ah, ya, ya
From the moment we met, I was breathless
And not asbestos breathless either,
Always, when you least expect it,
Stumble across Rapunzel a Libra,
Couldn't leave, I had to meet her,
Greet the girl of my dreams with a kiss on the hand,
What up? Little magnificent missing a man,
Ran away, like kids to a van (Yeah!)
Gorgeous, walking on water,
Sort of like Erin McNaught, but little shorter,
Wore a Pandora, bought her a charm,
Wasn't short of thought – bit of Paul on her arm,
Calling for calm, we fought, made Iraq
And the border of Jordan a walk in the park,
Jaws of a shark, too hard to break it off,
Fall apart, so I would say:
[Chorus:]
Rapunzel, gotta let your hair down,
Girl, gotta let your hair down,
I'm tired of fighting,
We ain't going nowhere now
Gotta let your hair down,
Girl, gotta let your hair down,
Why we trying?
We ain't going nowhere now
[Verse 2:]
And even she could see,
Her love was like a demolition derby,
I was Herbie, the love-bug, swerving,
Cause I work on the road,
She was like Russell the Crow,
A jerk with her phone!
Know that I don't wanna fight –
Another night, chewing off my ear, like Mike,
Another night ruined, I knew it,
Knew you would do it,
Scream when I'm out, like Hewitt,
You were the one, you were the one that ran away,
Like underlay, underlay,
Then break it off, but come running back,
Like baby, I want you back, but don't call me that,
Now baby, baby,
Baby, don't call me baby-baby,
I said, baby-baby, don't call me baby,
Baby-baby
[Chorus:]
Gotta let your hair down,
Girl, gotta let your hair down,
I'm tired of fighting,
We ain't going nowhere now
Gotta let your hair down,
Girl, gotta let your hair down,
Why we trying?
We ain't going nowhere now
[Verse 3:]
Na, I'm just sick of you saying my friends are above you,
You knew, when you were with me,
But you were lost in watching Sex and the City,
And what did you give me?
Your lips moving, but nothing coming out, like Britney!
And, what, did you lose it?
No, trust: every movement watched, like Truman,
Only human, I ain't a saint, but don't cheat when I'm in the game,
And still you know, you know no, you know you don't know me,
Die from the photos I got, like Dodi,
My own Naomi Campbell, I try to help, she fly off the handle:
No more candles, no more dinner, no more, I'm fat
I could look a little thinner,
Where's my Cinderella, my little Bella?
Hard, but I had to tell her, so I'd say, yeah, so I'd say,
I keep tellin' her, I keep tellin' her:
[Chorus:]
Rapunzel, gotta let your hair down,
Girl, gotta let your hair down,
I'm tired of fighting,
We ain't going nowhere now
Gotta let your hair down,
Girl, gotta let your hair down,
Why we trying?
We ain't going nowhere now
We ain't going nowhere now
@lea5853
BRUH I FOUND THIS FROM A KFC AD RN
@imogensanson3914
BAHAHAA LITERWLLY SAME
@TheOfficialViren
DUDE ME TOO! Haha got so hyped when I heard it
@lukemcgraw6806
🤣🤣🤣🤣 same
@rkpies2084
SAME BOI
@PeskyHuman642
LMAO SAME
@Tigernige1995rox
this is just another awesome song from another awesome aussie hip hop artist. Hilltop Hoods, Bliss N Eso, Drapht...all frikkin amazing.
@Micahcassar
Don’t forget Seth sentry
@jordak7012
Yuss I got here years deep ago under many moons the bliss n eso and so many fun brilliance
@Blastedyerface
@@Micahcassar came here to say that, lmfao!!! :D